Process of ornamenting strip metal



Jan. 13, 1931. L. s. HOWE 1,789,273

PROCESS OF ORNAMENTING STRIP METAL Filed Nov. 4, 1929 V M52112 we MmATTORN EYS Patented 13, 19 31 @UNI'ITED STATES" PATENT omen 'Lnonsnwrnnnn gown; or nnw BRITAIN, connnc'rron'r, nssrenon'. To run STANLEYwonxs, A conrona'rron or connnc'rrour response or mum-same s'rn'n?nnr'n.

Application men November 4,1 29. Serial No. 404,568.

It has heretofore been suggested that smooth strip metal can beornamented by feeding the-metal continuously past a print-- ing roll ofan offset printing station while the I metal is held under yieldingtension.

I have discovered that thisprocess can be greatly simplified by forminga series of spaced projections on the strip of metal before it is passedthrough the printing station. These projections have the very importantfunction of permitting the metal to be wound up immediately after itleaves the printing station without making any special provision fordrying. This result is due to the fact that the projections serve asspacers so that a when the newly printed metal is wound in a coil theinked surface is substantially unblurred and openings are left throughthe coil for the ready evaporation of volatile ingredients from the'ink.The strip is preferably, though not necessarily, printed on the sidetoward which the projections extend, as in such case only the ink thatison the tips of the projections can be rubbed off, whereas if the otherside were printed, then the projections-might injure-a much larger partof the surface when the metal is being assembled intoa coil.

The projections can readily be formed in the metal by the use ofappropriate rolls and can be applied at any desired stage of operationprior to the actual printing. They should be near enough to the edges ofthe metal to provide a firm bearing spread and their Height should be soproportioned to their longitudinal spacing that when the metal iscoiled, there will be no intermediate contacts. It is advisable to havethe projections spaced even distances apart so that as the metal iscoiled the continuous change in circumference will eliminate theprobability of superimposed projections coinciding. For drying, thecoils can be stacked or in any desired way that will permit air tocirculate through and around them.

For the purposes of illustration, an em-' bodiment of my process isdescribed in com nection with the apparatus shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the apparatusbefore it is ornamented.

arranged used; 2 isa side view of a portion of a coil of the ornamentedmetal; and Fig.3 is a plan view of a portionof a strip of metal afterthe projections have been formed. but

In the drawings, the numeral 12 designates are placed. This reelmay beprovided with any desired form of friction drag to prevent it fromover-running. The metal strip M is here shown as passing from thereel-12 between the rolls 13 and 14. The under roll 14: has projections15 which form dents-in the metal and it is to be understood that theroll 13 has corresponding depressions so that projections will be'formedon the upper side of the strip. As these projections are very smallrelative to the scale of-thisdrawing, they are not indicated on themetal in Fig. 1,

but are indicated at 11 in Figs. 2 and 3.

After passing from between the rolls 13 and 14 the metal passes betweena pair of feed control rolls 16 which grip the strip firmly to preventslipping. The feed rolls 16 are driven directly from. the pair of rolls18 and 20 in such a way that the metal will travel between these lattertwo rolls at exacts their peripheral speed. Of these two rolls, roll 18is a backing roll and roll 20 the transfer or printing roll. Followingthe usual custom of ofiset printing, the transfer roll receives ink fromthe type roll 22. The ink is contained in a reservoir 24 in whichrotates inking roll 26. B01128 intermittently touches roll 26 and thentravels to roll 30 where it deposits a small amount-of ink. This ink isspread out'by oscillating motion of rolls 32 and 34 which operate'in amanner well known in the art. The ink which has been spread out on roll-30 is transferred to the type roll 22 by the inking rolls 36 and 38.Inasmuch as the metal is to be printed continuously the gransfer' roll20 is made with continuous surace.

As the metal comes out from between rolls 18 and 20 it passes directlyto awinder 40. The winder 40 is driven by a friction drive sion isplaced a reel on which the coils of the strip of metal i which is soadjusted that a. substantial tenon the strip. After the reel is filledthe metalis fastened in any desired 1 way and then removed as a coilfrom the reel and dried either in the open air or with heat. The spacingof the strips permits air to circulate through the coils so that the inkwill readily out.

Solely by way of illustration, I may state that my process has beenfound to operate successfully where the small projections extendslightly less than a thirty-second of an inch above the surface of themetal, and are spaced about one-half an inch apartin parallel rows, butthese proportions and dimensions may be modified as occasion demands,and many other arrangements [of apparatus may be used.

I have termed the process of ornamenting as printing and the materialapplied as ink but these terms are used only for the purposes ofillustration and not by way of limitation, as the application of varioustypes of substance in many forms of coloration or.

ornamentation are intended to be covered.

WhatI claimis:

1. The process of continuously ornamentingstrip. metal, which comprisesthe steps of form ng a series of projections along a 3. strip of'metal,continuously passing the strip 1 of metal provided with such projectionsalong in contact with a printing roll, whereby the surface of the metalis marked, and withdrawing the metal from the printing roll by coilingit with the projections on one ayer contacting with the face of anadjoinmg layer, whereby the layers are held in spaced relation and themarked surface is kept substantially unblurred.

2. The process of ornamenting strip metal which comprises the steps offorming a series of small projections along a strip of metal,continuously passing the strip of metal provided with such projectionsalong in contact with a printing roll and thereby applying a design tosuch metal, coiling the metal with the projections on one layercontacting with a face of an adjoining layer,whereby the layers are heldin spaced relation whereby the material may readily dry.

3. A process as specified in claim 2 in which the design is applied tothe surface above which the projections extend.

LEON SAWTELLE HOWE.

